The packaging industry offers a wide array of packages or dispensers to safely contain potentially hazardous materials. For example, manufacturers have typically designed such packages to hold medication dosages in a child resistant manner. By their child resistant design, the packages lessen the chances that a child will gain access to the medication and therefore prevent the occurrence of an overdose.
A problem has occurred with child resistant packages, however, in that the packages have sometimes prevented the intended recipient of the medication from accessing the medication. Depending on the difficulty of the step or steps needed to open the package, certain adults may find it inconvenient or even nearly impossible to access the medication. The difficulty in opening the packages can be further aggravated for senior citizens and persons having infirmities or physical weaknesses that affect their motor skills. At best, conventional child resistant packages may present an inconvenience. At worst, conventional child resistant packages may discourage and/or prevent the intended recipient of the medication from taking the prescribed dosages. Clearly, a need exists for improved packages that are child resistant but remain reasonably accessible for adults to open.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,618 relates to a child resistant blister package that is opened by a sequence of actions. First, a tear is made in a first direction running in between the blister packs. A second tear is made perpendicular to the first tear, also in a direction running in between the blister packs. The second tear intersects the first tear and isolates a single blister pack. A third tear is made, again in a direction that does not lead directly to the blister pack. The third tear exposes an unsealed area at a comer of the isolated blister pack, thereby allowing a bottom packaging layer to be peeled from an upper layer to expose the medication in the blister pack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,603 also relates to a child resistant package. In the '603 patent, individual blister packs are separated from one another by perforation lines. For each blister pack, a tear slit is located to bisect the longitudinal axis of each blister and to extend less than one third of the distance between a perforation edge and the blister. Thus, the tear slit allows the user to tear the package in the direction of the blister.